Ashley Bryan on Little Cranberry Island

One highlight of the trip for many was a visit to illustrator Ashley Bryan's "magical" home on Little Cranberry Island. We rode a mail boat ferry to the island and had the chance to meet Bryan, winner of the Coretta Scott King award and the Arbuthnot Prize. His home is filled with his art and warm spirit.

A group photo

Our group poses for a photograph 520 feet up, after hiking the Beehive.

A Tired Blog!

We are having a great time here in Maine. Today we took a boat ride, a hike to 'the Beehive', a lake swim, and we even topped it all off with pizza and the Pixar movie 'Up'.

After all this photography and fun, we're just plain tired! See our photos below!

Monday night we will present our best photographic work to the community at an event open to the public. Check out the flyer for more information. All are welcome!

A Blueberry Pancake Breakfast video

Pancake Breakfast | NG On Campus: Bar Harbor from Elie Gardner on Vimeo.

Goodbye to Amy

We said goodbye to Amy on Thursday night. We were so lucky to have someone as talented, humble, insightful and fun! Amy's words will echo in our minds as we finish out our On Assignment work in Bar Harbor. One of the most memorable - and we think important - lessons that she taught us was to engage. One dictionary defines the word engage as "to become involved." Our students have become very successful at going out into the community and asking questions, having conversations and, yes, engaging. We thank Amy for that important lesson.

. . . a few more student photos

More Student Work

Hello all,

Last night we did a short critique and show of our latest work. Wow! Look at the improvement! We are so proud of our students and believe that their thoughtful photos do justice to the Mount Desert Island community. Enjoy the photos!

-Elie and Mike

Up at dawn

This morning everyone got out of bed at about 3:30 a.m. (yes, parents, it's true!). We headed to Sand Beach to watch the sunrise. Although the morning was mostly foggy (okay, all foggy) we learned a lesson in being prepared and always anticipating beautiful light. We also managed to make some great images of the sand, moving water, beach and each other!

Students in action

Hello all,

We are filling our days with photography of all kinds. So far we've photographed Acadia National Park, both in the forests and along the shores, downtown Bar Harbor, sunset from the top of Cadillac Mountain, the Bass Harbor Lighthouse and the locals on Little Cranberry Island, to name a few.

The students are really learning about their cameras and becoming more open to approach people. Technically, they are using their shutter speeds and apertures to achieve the photos they want. We've been amazed with the improvement we've seen even since they arrived.

Today we made time for a bit of fun with swimming and a 10-mile bike ride on the beautiful carriage roads of the island. A few students rode bikes for the first time and loved it!

Expert Amy Toensing and more student photography

Highlights from yesterday include expert Amy Toensing joining us and meeting Acadia Park Ranger Noreen Hogan at Seawall. We hope you enjoy the photographs (most of which are taken by students) below!

National Geographic Expert Amy Toensing

Acadia Park Ranger Noreen Hogan

photo by Jason

photo by Reed

photo by Leah Sheppard

photo by Emily

photo by Jonathan

photo by Leah Stansky

photo by Victoria

photo by Sean

photo by Sarah